Ancient Rome · 2020-03-18 · Pompeii Mount Vesuvius is just a few miles from Pompeii. Mount...

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ARTICLE-A-DAY Ancient Rome 7 Articles Check articles you have read: Roman Gods and Goddesses 156 words The Great Conquerors 335 words Pompeii 874 words The Start of Rome 249 words Roman Lands 811 words The Punic Wars 788 words The Legend of Romulus and Remus 353 words © 2020 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved. Page 1 of 16

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ARTICLE-A-DAY

Ancient Rome7 Articles

Check articles you have read:

Roman Gods and Goddesses156 words

The Great Conquerors335 words

Pompeii874 words

The Start of Rome249 words

Roman Lands811 words

The Punic Wars788 words

The Legend of Romulus and Remus353 words

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Roman Gods and Goddesses

Roman Gods and GoddessesThis text is adapted from an original work of the Core Knowledge Foundation.

Matthew Clark

The Romans believed that the god Saturn controlled the harvest.

The ancient Romans lived thousands of years ago. They built one of the gratest empires of

the ancient world. This empire was known as the Roman Empire.

The ancient Romans believed in many gods. They believed that gods controlled everything in

nature: the wind, sun, rain, even earthquakes.

The Romans believed their gods were very involved in their lives. These gods had different

names than the Greek gods because the Romans spoke Latin, a different language than the

Greeks spoke. The goddess Juno watched over Roman brides and their marriages. The god

Mars decided which side should win a battle or lose a war.

If a Roman farmer had a good crop, it was because the gods were pleased. If the same

farmer had a bad crop, it meant the gods were angry. Because of this, the ancient Romans

worried about angering their gods.

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The Great Conquerors

The Great ConquerorsThis text is adapted from an original work of the Core Knowledge Foundation.

Shari Griffiths

The Romans conquered lands that once werepart of ancient Greece. They brought many Greek

statues and paintings back to Rome. They alsobrought Greek stories and plays and copied

Greek building styles.

Thousands of years ago, the ancient Romans ruled

all the lands around the Mediterranean Sea. The

ancient Romans were great conquerors. They had

large, well-trained armies. Their navy ruled the seas.

After the Romans defeated an enemy, the captured

land became part of Rome.

These lands were called provinces. The Roman

Senate sent a governor to each province. The

governor made sure the province paid taxes to

Rome. The Romans usually let the conquered

people keep their laws and customs. Sometimes

they even made the conquered people citizens of

Rome.

The columns of the Roman Temple of Saturnwere copied from Greek architecture.

The Impact of Ancient Greece

The Romans copied the Greeks because they

admired the beauty of Greek art, writings, and

buildings. Wealthy Romans kept enslaved Greek

servants who had once been teachers and doctors.

Many Romans learned the Greek language.

Trouble in the Republic

As Roman armies conquered more lands, the

wealthiest Romans grew richer. They used enslaved

people to work on their land. Enslaved people were not paid for the work they did, such as

farming. As a result, rich farmers could sell their crops for less money than farmers who had

to pay workers. This gave richer farmers a big advantage over other farmers. Many poor

farmers were forced out of business and lost their land.

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The Great Conquerors

Many farmers who lost their land came to Rome. They were out of work and hungry. They

wanted help from the Roman government. But the Senate controlled the government, and

many senators were rich landowners. They did not care about helping the poor people of

Rome.

Several leaders told the Senate to help the people who had lost their land. But the Senate did

not listen. Unhappiness among the Roman people grew. The Roman Republic was growing

weak.

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Pompeii

PompeiiThis text is adapted from an original work of the Core Knowledge Foundation.

The ruins of many Roman buildings still stand today.These ruins of Pompeii, Italy, reveal a lot about the past.

Today, the city of Rome is the capital of a country called

Italy. Two thousand years ago, Rome was the center of the

world's greatest empire-the Roman Empire. The Romans

ruled all the lands around the Mediterranean Sea.

The ancient Romans were very good builders. Remains of

their bridges, roads, aqueducts, and buildings are found in

many places. A few ancient Roman bridges are still used

today.

The remains of many ancient buildings stand in Rome and

other places. These remains are called ruins.

Roman ruins are thousands of years old. These old ruins

are usually damaged.

Weather caused most of the damage. Heat, cold, rain, snow, hail, and wind all had an effect. Earthquakes

and fires have caused problems, too.

People have also taken pieces from the ruins. Wars and air pollution have also had a harmful impact.

It can be hard to picture what these buildings looked like in Roman times. However, there is an area in

Italy where nature has preserved these ancient buildings. This area is southeast of Rome, near the Bay of

Naples and Mount Vesuvius.

Mount Vesuvius

Mount Vesuvius is a volcano. A volcano is formed when melted, or molten, rock pushes up from deep

underground.

Molten rock flows like mud. It pushes through cracks in Earth's crust. It then flows across earth's surface.

Later it cools and becomes hard.

Sometimes molten rock explodes out of a volcano. This is called a volcanic eruption. Rock and hot ash

explode in the air and fall around the volcano. When this happens, plant and animal life are damaged or

destroyed.

Sometimes smoke, dirt, and debris (/deh*bree/) from a volcanic eruption can block out the sun. The sky

can stay dark for days as debris falls back to Earth.

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Pompeii

Mount Vesuvius is just a few miles from Pompeii.

Mount Vesuvius Buries Pompeii

Mount Vesuvius erupted on August 24, 79 CE. Rock and ash

exploded from the volcano. The debris fell like rain for two days.

The town of Pompeii (/pom*pay/) was six miles away from Mount

Vesuvius. Hot gas killed many people without warning. Then rock

and ash from the eruption buried the town. Pompeii disappeared

under twenty-three feet of volcanic debris.

Michael Wutky

This painting shows what the eruption of MountVesuvius may have looked like.

The debris

damaged every

building in Pompeii.

That same debris

preserved Pompeii as it was at the moment the disaster

struck. The town remained buried and forgotten for almost

1,700 years.

Pompeii Is Found

The buried town was found in 1763. Since then, people from

all over the world come to explore Pompeii. Some people

come to search for statues or gold coins. Some people come to study Roman buildings. Others want to

find out about volcanic eruptions. Everyone wants to know what happened on that awful day. It took years

of digging to find certain answers.

Today, more than half of Pompeii has been dug up. This work is done by experts called archaeologists.

They are still digging, slowly and carefully. While they want to find out more, they do not want to do any

more harm to the ancient city's remains.

Daily Life in Pompeii

Pompeii has taught us much about the Roman people. The buildings of Pompeii are filled with things

people used every day. These things help us understand how ancient Romans lived.

Pompeii was a town of about twenty thousand people. The town was built next to a river. The river flowed

into the Bay of Naples. Ships from all over the Roman world brought goods that could be traded in

Pompeii.

The people of Pompeii traded wine, olive oil, grain, pottery, and wool cloth. In the busy marketplace,

farmers sold fruits and vegetables. Politicians made speeches. Poets shared their latest poems.

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Pompeii

Pompeii had more than two hundred places to eat and drink. Craftspeople made and sold metal cups and

dishes. Shops made and sold perfume. The town also had bakers, builders, and bankers.

Wknight94 (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The ruins of Pompeii, including this water fountain, giveus a glimpse of daily life in Rome.

The People of Pompeii

The people of Pompeii loved art. Paintings decorated the

walls of shops and houses. Huge statues decorated the

temples and the town forum. Beautiful mosaics decorated

the walls and floors of houses and public buildings.

The people of Pompeii also had fun. They kept dogs and

birds as pets. They built beautiful gardens. They bathed at

the public baths or the town swimming pool. They wrestled

at the town gym. The people of Pompeii watched plays and

concerts in town theaters. They watched gladiators fight in

the town amphitheater.

The people of Pompeii drank from public fountains. They wrote messages on the walls of almost every

building. They built huge temples to their gods. Venus, the goddess of love, seems to have been their

favorite.

We know all of these things because Mount Vesuvius erupted about two thousand years ago. The eruption

was a disaster for the people of Pompeii. For historians, though, the eruption provided a helpful way to

learn about life in the Roman world.

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The Start of Rome

The Start of RomeThis text is adapted from an original work of the Core Knowledge Foundation.

Rome became an important city on the banks ofthe Tiber River.

Two thousand years ago, Rome was the center of

the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was one of

the world's greatest empires. The Romans ruled all

the lands around the Mediterranean Sea. 

But how did Rome begin? Rome probably began

when some farmers and shepherds built a village of

small huts on one of the seven hills near the Tiber

River. These people probably settled by the Tiber

because it was a good place to live. The soil was

rich. There was plenty of water, and the river was

good for travel. An island in the river near the village

made crossing the river easier.

The seven hills around the Tiber made it hard for

enemies to attack. Rome grew as more people

settled on those hills. That is why Rome became

known as the "City of Seven Hills."

Over time, Rome came to control a large areaaround the Mediterranean Sea.

According to legend, Rome was founded in 753

BCE. The letters BCE stand for "Before the Common

Era." The Common Era began in year 0. That means

Rome is more than 2,750 years old.

For many years, kings ruled Rome. Over time the

kings became greedy for power. In 509 BCE the

Romans drove out their king. They decided not to

trust anyone else to be king. Instead, the Romans

made their city a republic. In a republic, people

choose representatives to rule for them.

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Roman Lands

Roman LandsThis text is adapted from an original work of the Core Knowledge Foundation.

Rome's empire spread from the Italian peninsulathrough most of Europe and parts of Asia and

Africa.

Once, it was very easy to see all of the Roman world

from one spot. In 750 BCE, all you had to do was

climb a hill near the Tiber River. From that place you

could see a few farms, fishermen's huts, and small

clusters of houses. That was all there was to Rome

at that point in history.

In time, the Roman world grew. The Romans were

good at conquering other lands. They were also

good at ruling the lands they conquered. The

Romans expected conquered people to work hard

and send taxes to Rome.

Eventually, the Roman world grew so large that the

only way to see the whole empire would have been to look down from space. Of course, there

was no way to do that in Roman times. Instead, the Romans used maps to show all the lands

they ruled. These lands were located on three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. The map

shows the Roman Empire when it was very large. Let's take a tour.

Italy and the Mediterranean

The city of Rome is located on the Italian peninsula. Do you see it? If you can't find the Italian

peninsula, look for the piece of land that looks like a boot. Do you see the toe and the high

heel?

The Italian peninsula is part of the continent of Europe. Between the Italian peninsula and the

rest of Europe are the Alps. The Alps are a high snow-covered mountain range. Hannibal and

his elephants crossed the Alps during the Second Punic War.

The Italian peninsula sticks out into the Mediterranean Sea. Once the Romans controlled the

Italian peninsula, they conquered islands and coastal areas around the Mediterranean. After a

while, the Romans controlled the whole Mediterranean region. They called the Mediterranean

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Roman Lands

Greece and the Balkans

The Adriatic Sea is northeast of the Italian peninsula. Across the Adriatic Sea is Greece. As

you know, ancient Greece was very important to the Romans. The Romans liked Greek ideas

about education, art, building, and government. They used these ideas in Rome. They also

brought these ideas to their provinces.

East of Greece is the Aegean Sea. The Aegean is connected to another large body of water:

the Black Sea. These two seas are connected by a narrow waterway, or strait. This strait is

called the Bosporus. It separates Europe from Asia Minor.

The Bosporus passes through a city that was once called Constantinople. Today its name is

Istanbul. This city was important to the Roman Empire. You will learn more about it later.

Asia and Africa

Constantinople is on the tip of the peninsula called Asia Minor. Today the peninsula is home

to the nation of Turkey. Two thousand years ago, Asia Minor was part of the Roman Empire.

It is from this place that Julius Caesar sent his famous "Veni, vidi, vici" message.

The remains of the Library of Celsus in Ephesus,Turkey, are what is left of this ancient Roman

building.

The Romans also controlled Mesopotamia and the

kingdom of Egypt. Egypt was the home of Cleopatra.

It was also one of the richest of Rome's provinces. It

had ports on the Mediterranean Sea and the Red

Sea. It also had rich lands along the Nile River.

The Romans had provinces along the North African

coast too. Carthage controlled some of that coastline

until the end of the Third Punic War. Then Rome

gained control of this land.

Back to Europe

At the western end of the North African coastline is the Strait of Gibraltar. This strait connects

the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Spain is north of Gibraltar, on the continent of

Europe. The Romans conquered Spain. Then, Julius Caesar conquered the large area to the

north. The Romans called this area Gaul. Today, we call this area France.

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Roman Lands

The Romans also had an island province north of Europe. They called this province Britannia.

Today this land is part of Great Britain.

All Roads Lead to Rome

Livioandronico2013 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Appian Way, the most famous road ofancient Rome, was built in 312 BCE. Parts of the

road are still used today.

To control such a large empire, Roman officials

needed a way to travel easily. To do this, they built

roads. These roads were paved with smooth slabs of

stone. The Roman army could travel quickly over the

paving stones to get where it was needed.

The Roman Empire had more than fifty thousand

miles of roads. These roads connected every

province of the empire to Rome itself. That is why

the Romans said, "All roads lead to Rome."

Today, in areas of Asia, Africa, and Europe, some

highways and railroad lines still follow the routes of the ancient Roman roads.

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The Punic Wars

The Punic WarsThis text is adapted from an original work of the Core Knowledge Foundation.

Jacob Wyatt

Carthage was a powerful enemy of Rome.

In its early days, Rome was a small city with a small

army. This army was made up of Roman citizens

and included both patricians (members of ancient

Rome's highest social class) and plebeians

(common people without power in ancient Rome). It

was a great honor to be in the army and defend the

city of Rome.

The Romans fought some of their neighbors. When

the Romans conquered an enemy, they took control

of the land and people living there. In time, the

Roman army became large and powerful. By the

year 265 BCE, the army had conquered most of the Italian peninsula. In 264 BCE the

Romans went to war against Carthage. Carthage was a powerful nation located across the

Mediterranean Sea on the coast of North Africa. Today, the city of Tunis stands where

Carthage once stood.

The Punic Wars

These wars against the Carthaginians (/kar*thuh*jin*ee*ans/) are called the Punic (/pue*nik/)

Wars. The name comes from Latin, the language spoken by the Romans. The Latin word

Punicus means Carthaginian. So, a Punic War is a war between Rome and Carthage. Since

Rome and Carthage went to war three times, these wars are called the First, Second, and

Third Punic Wars. They were fought between 264 and 146 BCE.

The First Punic War

The First Punic War was different from any war the Romans had fought before. Carthage was

a rich nation with a large navy. When the First Punic War began, Carthage had five hundred

fighting ships. Rome had no navy at all.

The Romans were determined to win. They built warships and learned to fight at sea. They

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The Punic Wars

learned to fight in formation. They trained tens of thousands of sailors to man their warships.

They fought the Carthaginians for twenty-three long years. When the First Punic War ended

in 241 BCE, the Romans had won.

Jacob Wyatt

Roman soldiers trained to fight in formation.

Hannibal

Hannibal's route from Spain to the lands of Rome

At the end of the First Punic War, a young

Carthaginian boy named Hannibal waited for his

father to return from battle. His father was an

important leader in the Carthaginian army. Hannibal

wanted to be a soldier like his father. More than

anything, he wanted to fight against the Romans.

When Hannibal's father returned, he became

commander of Carthage's army. He then conquered

the rich lands along the northwest coast of the

Mediterranean. Today this area is called Spain.

When he was nine years old, Hannibal went to Spain with his father and the army. Hannibal

grew to be an excellent soldier, like his father. When he was twenty-six years old, Hannibal

took command of the Carthaginian army.

Hannibal was a great general. He was brave and clever in battle. He treated his men fairly

and earned their respect and loyalty.

The Second Punic War

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The Punic Wars

Hannibal still wanted to fight Rome. In 219 BCE he attacked a town that was friendly with

Rome. This attack started the Second Punic War.

Next, Hannibal decided to march his army from Spain to Italy. This meant crossing wide rivers

and the tall snow-covered mountains known as the Alps.

Jacob Wyatt

Roman legions feared the elephants when theyfirst saw them.

It would be hard for the soldiers to cross these rivers

and mountains. Hannibal also had to get thousands

of horses and dozens of elephants across these

barriers. The Carthaginian army used African

elephants in battle. Most of their enemies in Europe

had never seen elephants and were terrified by

them.

The Romans thought that no army would ever be

able to cross the rugged Alps. They were wrong.

The Carthaginians made it over the Alps and onto

the Italian peninsula. The crossing took fifteen hard

days, and Hannibal lost almost half his men.

Hannibal fought the Romans on the Italian peninsula for the next sixteen years. He won great

battles, but Romans would not give up.

Eventually, the Romans sent an army to attack Carthage. Hannibal rushed home. Outside

Carthage, Hannibal met a Roman army led by General Scipio Africanus

(/sip*ee*oeh/af*rih*kay*nus/). The Roman army won the battle. Carthage surrendered, but

Hannibal continued to fight. He moved from place to place, staying away from the Romans.

When the Romans finally trapped him, Hannibal refused to surrender. Instead, he killed

himself.

The Third Punic War

After the Second Punic War, Rome and Carthage were at peace for more than fifty years.

Then in 149 BCE, the Third Punic War began. The Romans sent a huge army to Africa. The

fighting lasted only three years. In the end, the Romans destroyed the city of Carthage. The

Carthaginians who were not killed were enslaved.

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The Legend of Romulus and Remus

The Legend of Romulus and RemusThis text is excerpted from an original work of the Core Knowledge Foundation.

Jed Henry

In Roman legend, twins Romulus and Remus were set adrift in a basket in the Tiber River.

Today, the city of Rome is the capital of a country called Italy. Two thousand years ago,

Rome was the center of the world's greatest empire-the Roman Empire. The Romans ruled

all the lands around the Mediterranean Sea. How did this great empire begin? The Romans

had a story, or legend, that explained this.

The Legend of Romulus and Remus

Jed Henry

Mars, the Roman god of war, had twin sons named

Romulus and Remus. When the twins were born,

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The Legend of Romulus and Remus

In the legend, a mother wolf found Romulus andRemus.

Mars promised that they would someday start a

great empire.

A jealous uncle kidnapped the baby boys. He asked

a servant to drown them in the Tiber River. The

servant took pity on the boys. Instead of drowning

them, he put them in a reed basket. He placed the

basket in the river.

The twin boys were lucky. As the basket floated down the river, it drifted toward the riverbank.

The basket hit the riverbank, and Romulus and Remus fell out. Then something moved in the

bushes near the shore. It was a mother wolf! She had heard the babies crying. She nudged

them with her nose and then with her paw. The wolf saw that the twins were hungry. She fed

them milk just as she fed her own cubs.

Later, a shepherd found the boys and raised them as his own sons. After the boys grew up,

they decided to build a city near the Tiber River where the wolf had found them.

Jed Henry

Romulus and Remus fought over where to buildtheir city.

The brothers began to argue. They fought over

where to start building the city. During this fight,

Romulus killed Remus. Romulus became the first

king of the city, which would be named after

him-Rome.

Romulus ruled Rome for many years, until he

disappeared during a storm. The Romans believed

that his father, the god Mars, took Romulus into

heaven. There, Romulus became a god too.

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